Senegal booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals with a 3 1 victory over Sudan, powered by a brace from Pape Gueye and a late goal from teenage substitute Ibrahim Mbaye.
The former champions were rocked early in the first last 16 match of the tournament in Tangier when Aamir Abdallah gave Sudan a surprise sixth minute lead. Senegal, however, responded with authority, turning the match around before half time through two goals from Gueye.
Teenager Mbaye then put the result beyond doubt in the 77th minute, scoring just four minutes after coming off the bench to cap a convincing Senegalese recovery.
Senegal will now face either Mali or Tunisia in the quarter finals, with the two sides meeting later on Saturday in Casablanca.
The result was largely expected, with Senegal ranked 99 places higher than Sudan, who are representing a country ravaged by civil war since April 2023.
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse made six changes to the side that recorded a 3 0 win over Botswana in their final group match. Suspended captain and centre back Kalidou Koulibaly was the most notable absentee.
Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah, who was born in Ghana, retained only forward Abdallah from the team that suffered a 2 0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their previous outing.
It was the first time Senegal and Sudan had met at an AFCON tournament, although they have faced each other in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with Senegal winning at home and drawing away.
Sudan stunned their more fancied opponents by taking an early lead through Abdallah, a semi professional who plays for an Australian second tier club in Melbourne. The striker collected the ball inside the area and curled a superb effort over former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the net.
Sudan had reached the knockout stage as one of the four best third placed teams, despite failing to score in the group phase, with an own goal securing their lone victory against Equatorial Guinea.
Senegal began to dominate possession and chances, with Sudan goalkeeper Monged Abuzaid producing a brave save on 29 minutes to deny Nicolas Jackson, who is on loan at Bayern Munich from Chelsea.
The equaliser followed almost immediately as former African player of the year Sadio Mane set up Gueye, who fired a low shot into the corner of the net.
Watched by Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe, Senegal continued to press, while Sudan offered little going forward.
A penalty initially awarded to Senegal after Ismaila Sarr was fouled by Abuzaid was overturned following a lengthy VAR review, which showed a Senegalese player was offside in the buildup. Sarr later had a goal ruled out for offside as Sudan enjoyed further reprieves.
Abuzaid remained busy and made another fine save to keep out a Gueye effort before the midfielder struck again in added time. The Villarreal player calmly side footed a cross into the net with his left foot to give Senegal a deserved half time lead.
Senegal introduced Mbaye midway through the second half in search of a decisive third goal. The 17 year old Paris Saint Germain forward made an immediate impact, latching onto a long pass and beating Abuzaid at his near post.
Mbaye, who previously represented France at youth level before switching allegiance to Senegal, where his father was born, ensured a comfortable finish for the reigning champions as they advanced to the quarter finals.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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